Wednesday, February 19, 2014

2014 SEED Awards Applications Now Open Tue, Feb 11, 2014Nairobi, 11 February 2014 - Start-up social and environmental entrepreneurs who have developed innovative products or services and are working with local communities can win a tailor-made business support package through the 2014 SEED Awards, which open for nominations today.

SEED Award Winners, based in emerging economies, developing and least-developed countries, will receive $5000 towards their most urgent needs.

In addition, over a period of about 6 months, they will be offered expert advice on developing their business plans, the opportunity to take part in specially-designed workshops to enhance their skills, high-level profiling of their enterprises and access to an international network of businesses, governments and development institutions.

For the 2014 SEED Awards, SEED has received support from the European Union; the International Climate Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Protection, Building and Nuclear Safety; the Government of Flanders; the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women); the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO); and the international law firm Hogan Lovells. Additional support is provided by the SEED Partners.

-3 SEED Gender Equality Awards to enterprises in countries that are not OECD or EU Member countries.

Winners of the 2013 SEED Awards included enterprises in Uganda for a biogas plant which utilises agricultural waste to produce renewable energy for rural communities; in Colombia for an alternative lighting system based on recycled plastic bottles for off-grid housing; in Ethiopia for improved cook stoves and briquettes for various end-users throughout the country; and in Namibia for a value-added fish and food processing facility which focuses on solar-dried food. Details about these and other SEED Winners are at: www.seedinit.org

The deadline for applications is 08 April 2014, 23:59 Central European Time (CET).

Applications can be filled in online at the SEED Initiative website www.seedinit.org Alternatively, the application form can be downloaded and emailed to seedawards2014@seedinit.org. Applicants may also contact the SEED Initiative by email or phone (+49 30 89 00 068 99) should they not be able to submit their application electronically.

SEED was founded by UNEP, UNDP, and IUCN at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. It is hosted at Adelphi Research, in Germany.

Partners in the SEED Initiative, in addition to the Founding Partners, are the governments of Flanders, Germany, India, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States of America; the European Union; Conservation International; and SEED's corporate partner, Hisense.

The SEED Initiative is a global partnership for action on the Green Economy. It identifies and supports promising small-scale start-up social and environmental entrepreneurs around the globe who, in working towards a greener economy, also tackle poverty, marginalisation and social exclusion. SEED provides these social entrepreneurs with know-how and networks, taking the lessons learnt at local level up to decision-makers with a view to promoting evidence-based policymaking on the green economy.

- See more at: http://www.unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx?DocumentID=2762&ArticleID=10708&l=en#sthash.YHlv2sFz.dpuf